The 2020 NBA Draft is now only nine days away and the NBA season, while a little further in the future, isn’t too far away from starting either. Which means, the upcoming free agency period and the periods for negotiating rookie extensions will be more compressed than ever before, which will make things more intense for free agents and players eligible to sign their rookie extension.
Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma falls into the latter category, as a player eligible to sign a rookie extension this summer. The Lakers also have a pretty solid crew of likely free agents, including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, and Dwight Howard. But Kuzma’s representatives, as they should do, are looking for a sizable deal for their client, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Windhorst’s comments about the desires of Kuzma’s reps were transcribed by Heavy.com’s Austin Boyd.
“Then you got Kuzma, who is extension eligible, still has a year left on his contract but is extension eligible,” Windhorst said on the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast. “And from what I understand, [he] is expecting a sizable deal, hoping for a sizable deal.”
We are all hoping for sizable deals and it’s the duty of Kuzma’s reps to pursue the most sizable of deals. Whether they get it is a serious debate and particularly with regards to the Lakers, who have their eyes on adding a third star to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the future, it wouldn’t be in L.A.’s best interest to sign Kuz to a big-time extension. At least not this offseason.
[lawrence-related id=35718,35714]